About the Authors
Bryan Ripley Crandall, Ph.D., is Director of the Connecticut Writing Project and an Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions at Fairfield University. With 20+ years of teaching and research experience in K-12 schools, his primary interests are to promote the writing of teachers and students and to advocate for effective reforms, especially in urban school districts.
Kathleen A. Cullen, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor at Utica College in the School of Health Professions and Education Department where she teaches courses in early and adolescent literacy as well as diversity and leadership. She earned her Ph.D. from Syracuse University in Reading Education, where she also taught literacy courses and supervised student teachers. Kathleen is a certified elementary teacher, special education teacher, and school administrator with 20 years of experience working in public schools.
Michelle A. Duffy, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Department of Teaching and Learning. She earned her doctorate in Reading Education and her C.A.S. in Disability Studies from Syracuse University. Her research interests include investigating how students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities are included in the literacy learning activities going on in their schools and exploring ways to improve these opportunities. Michelle also enjoys advocating for families of children with disabilities in their communities and schools.
Tess M. Dussling, M.S., is a doctoral candidate in Literacy Education at Syracuse University, where she has taught courses in literacy methods for primary grades and early reading interventions for children with reading difficulties. She supervises students during school placements and clinical tutoring experiences and also serves as a teaching mentor during the all-university teaching assistant orientation. She is a member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading, the International Reading Association, and the Central New York Reading Council. Her research interests include early reading interventions for young English language learners, with her dissertation examining the impact of a supplemental first grade code-oriented reading intervention on the literacy skills of English language learners and native English speaking students.
Elizabeth C. Lewis, Ph.D., is Associate Professor in the Education Department at Dickinson College. She earned her Ph.D. from Syracuse University in 2008 in English Education. Her research focuses on new and multiple literacies, multimodality in secondary education, and the literacy development and instruction of adolescent English language learners. Her teaching interests include incorporating culturally responsive pedagogy in instruction, addressing diverse student needs in teacher education, and integrating literacy instruction across secondary content areas.
Vicki McQuitty, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor at Towson University in the Elementary Education Department, where she teaches courses on writing and writing instruction. She also researches how elementary teachers learn to teach writing and how professional development can support teachers’ learning about writing pedagogy. She taught fifth grade for five years before earning her Ph.D. from Syracuse University and joining the faculty at Towson University.
Kristen A. Munger, Ph.D., is Associate Dean in the School of Education at SUNY Oswego. Prior to becoming Associate Dean, she was a faculty member in the Counseling and Psychological Services Department at SUNY Oswego, where she taught graduate courses in academic intervention, emotional intervention, and research methods. She also taught practicum and internship courses in school psychology, as well as a course in assessment to preservice teachers. She earned her Ph.D. from Syracuse University in Reading Education and M.S. in School Psychology from SUNY Oswego. Before beginning her doctoral work at Syracuse University, she practiced as a school psychologist in New York State schools for 12 years. During that time, she developed a persistent interest in literacy development, assessment, and instruction.
Maria S. Murray, Ph.D., is Associate Professor at the State University of New York at Oswego in the Curriculum and Instruction Department, where she teaches courses in literacy assessment and intervention, and practica courses. Prior to receiving her Ph.D. in Reading Education from Syracuse University, she served as project coordinator for large federally funded early reading intervention grants. Her research interests include early reading intervention, reading disabilities, texts used to teach beginning readers, and invented spelling.
Joanne E. O’Toole, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the Curriculum and Instruction Department at SUNY Oswego. She teaches adolescence education methods courses with a specialization in modern language education, supervises student teachers in Central New York and overseas, and co-teaches the senior seminar course. She additionally coordinates the Childhood and Modern Language Education Programs and departmental edTPA education and support. She earned her Ph.D. from Syracuse University in Teaching and Curriculum, with concentrations in teacher education and linguistics. She has served in multiple leadership positions in language education and is current editor of the NYSAFLT Language Association Journal. Prior to her appointment at SUNY Oswego, she taught Spanish 7-12 in Central New York for 16 years. Her interest in literacy emerges from her work in language education.
Joanna M. Robertson, Ph.D., is a literacy professor at Old Dominion University and has also taught at the University of Mary Washington and SUNY Cortland. She teaches traditional, hybrid, and online courses in literacy and children’s literature. She received her Ph.D. from Syracuse University in Reading Education, as well as Bachelors and Masters degrees in music from the Crane School of Music and the university of Maine. She is a professional cellist and has taught music for 15 years. Her experiences as an educator inspired her interest in early literacy, children’s literature and the arts, and multimodality.
Elizabeth Y. Stevens, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor at Roberts Wesleyan College in the Department of Teacher Education, where she teaches literacy education courses in both undergraduate and graduate programs. She recently earned her Ph.D. at Syracuse University in Reading Education. During her graduate work, she also taught sixth grade in a public school district for five years. Elizabeth’s research interests include new literacies, literacy teacher education, and teacher discourse and identity.
